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Re: snail attack
>
> Date: Wed, 16 Apr 1997 11:46:40 -0500 (CDT)
> From: Cindy House <1cjh8006 at unixstew_tstc.edu>
> Subject: snail attack
>
> Hey all. I've gota a problem. I have a large planted tank that has been
> attacked by snails. I've been trying to pick the egg sacks off my plants
> as I see them, but I am just to out numbered for this method to work
> effectivly. Does anyone know of something I can try that will rid me of
> my pests? *Any* suggestions are appriciated. Thanks in advance. :)
>
> Cindy
>
I've found that hungry feeder guppies eat snail eggs. They'll pull the
gel sacs off plants and pick at them until they're empty.
And of course, there are the botias - excellent snail predators. Clown
loaches are very effective but they get big and sometimes they're pretty
boistrous. I've heard of them ripping up planted tanks, but mine don't do
that. I also have a red finned botia that is real effective as a snail
exterminator, but rather nocturnal and sometimes aggressive. I understand
skunk botias are very effective as well, more outgoing than red finned and
rather small, but I don't have any (yet).
Maybe in the long run picking off the adults and letting guppies control
the eggs is a better solution. Botias leave the snail shells (or
fragments of the shells) around the tank and re-solution of the calcium
carbonate in the shells can raise your GH, alkalinity and pH.
Roger Miller